Craven leaders consider new twist in economic development plan

Monday

Consultants hired to draft a Craven County strategic economic development plan suggest the best way to get jobs is with a multi-government, business and civic nonprofit partnership group.

Consultants hired to draft a Craven County strategic economic development plan suggest the best way to get jobs is with a multi-government, business and civic nonprofit partnership group.

The unexpected conclusion about how to replace the Craven County Economic Development Commission, which was dissolved and its staff eliminated about a year ago, was relayed to Craven County Board of Commissioners last week in a budget work session.

The steering committee got the report from RKG Associates Inc. at a meeting recently and plan to present it more formally to commissioners after they have digested and analyzed its contents more thoroughly, probably in June.

The recommendation for a 501(C)3 nonprofit group comes just as Craven County Manager Jack Veit is set to interview a second round of candidates for a new county staff position for economic development, which is funded in the proposed budget.

Veit told the board that the consultants “recommend creating a new nonprofit entity that the county would participate in and help fund. You would be one vote on the board and would contribute money” based on a per capita formula.

“You would have to concede control for the betterment of working together with New Bern, the base (Cherry Point air station), Havelock, chambers of commerce, Committee of 100,” and assorted issue-oriented advocacy groups like NC-20, etc., he said.

“It would be a pay-to-play autonomous group to implement the strategic plan,” Veit said. “This would be your economic development; the county would not have a function in economic development anymore.”

The job candidates know the county is working on a new strategic plan, but they did not know there was talk of a nonprofit being formed, Veit said.

“I feel like I need to take the temperature of the board on whether we stay the course with a county economic developer or go with a 501(C)3,” Veit said. “I have to know if you can live with it, then I need to go back to the individuals and see if they are still interested.”

“I am extremely uncomfortable hiring someone” until it’s known what job they’ll be hired for because they could have the right skill set for one job but not the other, Veit said.

Commissioner Jeff Taylor, who led the steering committee, said key points made by consultants include that “there is a lot of work to be done in the county based on the trust factor between the various communities and the county. There is no one entity that can control economic development in CravenCounty. We are going to have to work together to make that happen.”

WayneCountyhas had a nonprofit group in operation there for about seven years. Taylor, Commissioner Steve Tyson, steering committee member Chuck Dale, Veit, and Assistant County Manager Gene Hodges, who serves as interim economic developer, met Wednesday in New Bern with some Wayne County leaders familiar with its operation.

Tyson said, “I was opposed initially, but would like to hear more about it.”

After the meeting, he said Wayne County has a nonprofit group that works with a paid county economic development staff, not quite the same model as the strategic plan recommendation for Craven.

Taylorsaid, “This is going to take at least a year even if we get new economic development director. The exercise was needed. We are now trying to build the product that is going to serve the citizens for the foreseeable future.”

Veit said Friday that he plans to proceed with interviews since the 501(C)3 would take a while to set up and because the Wayne County EDC has staff working as well as the citizen-business group.

Sue Book can be reached at 252-635-5665 or sue.book@newbernsj.com. Follow her on Twitter@SueJBook.

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